The widow smiles.
"Sure thing-just let me open a window for you-most of them have surprises for unwanted guests."...
The Duergar scratches his nose, perhaps a nervous habit.
"Yeah, es' a big man, way up top. Don't like his 'agents' he call us, dragging his name about. Say you might know him if you frequent the Darling Filly, though. He's been known to sample the treats there, hey? All I'll say. He'd probably tell ya what we was doing if ya asked-I'm not too important in the old hierarchical...um, structure.
But if you wanna find me, I gotta small den right North of here, under the *Hanging Tree-don't believe the piffle about ghosts and all, but then again we don't go under the first floor either! Hah! Me and a few other tough guys, we got the run of the place. When I'm not working for Mr...er, when I'm not working I'm faffing about there, usually with a lass-times we shake down the locals when we're bored, the guards don't care-keeps us warm and fed, aye. It's a sweet deal. You wanna hire some rough guys, come and see us, or send one of your messenger boys-just, not at night, right gov? I couldn't guarantee your uh, anyones safety then."((
*Lore Added to OP in this thread))
...
A few minutes later, Tyri reaches her group-triumphantly holding the magic folio of the man-and the Necromancer right after.
Having obtained the information they need-without causing too much of a ruckus-the party sets off...
...
The Sluice isn't far-at this point, Watchrest becomes more cliff, than hill-the group is careful climbing down, for they know things lurk most often in these fringes-waiting to snatch people from the nearby streets. Looking at the Sluice from above, it certainly looks like a arrow from the Gods struck it from the sky. A massive crater has created a shallow depression where once was a small section of city-collapsed buildings teeter precariously over ruined streets, all at bizarre angles. The center itself is shielded from view directly, but concentric rings of stone and rubble suggest something hit hard enough to literally burrow into the stone-and then it exploded, sending out shockwaves that decimated the area even more...it makes it look almost as if every structure in the area was bent and bowed toward their destructor.
The more worldly of the group can only sigh. For this is a only a small fragment of the disaster that destroyed their world.
It's like this everywhere, outside.
...
The Terminus war had started over a woman.
At least, so the bards say. This is the most popular retelling.
The young prince of a Human nation which has no name now once traveled to the underdark to hunt game-Drow, in fact, for they were long and hated enemies. It was there he and his party caught a Drow maiden most fair-and was himself enraptured by her beauty. It was said she might have loved him back, beyond the hatred and violence of their peoples.
The Drow demanded the return of the woman, who was a Princess of a sort in her society-and a prisoner, though she knew it not until she was free.
The King might have relented, if the prince had not removed his head, and claimed the throne for himself. He declared himself King of Sun and Moon-destined to rule the world forever, at the side of his beautiful Queen.
It was a small spat, really-the Drow had nearly overwhelmed the nation in great numbers in hardly ten years. But, strings of alliances and pacts soon began to come into play...duty and honor demanded others join the war...what was a small, local conflict become some far, far worse-far too quickly for anyone to stop it.
...
Descending into the broken streets is a chore-not even hard packed dirt lies underfoot. Though the petals and the Goliath do not seem to have much trouble, Ari and Mathias must suppress grumbles as they skirt chunks of rubble, rock and glass. Actually entering the rings of buildings is suddenly claustrophobic due to the leaning buildings. They seem ready to fall at the slightest touch.
The group wisely skirts around most obstacles they see-cautious of being here after the sun goes down. True to it's name, nothing clean lives here-the occasional slime is seen, mucking about and slurping up garbage, and now and again a clearly undead animal such as a rat or cat will wander past in a stupefied manner. Deep pits in the ground seem to be the dwellings of the elementals, who churn endlessly in circles for no decipherable reason. Nothing is truly alive in this place. Magic has poisoned the ground so much only either the simplest things can survive, or those beings spawned from magic itself.
Still, they press on-the Greenboard bridge is located on the outskirts, though closer to Hightown and Southwards. Needless to say, the bridge itself used to connect this neighborhood to the city at large, but is now collapsed-forming a sort of natural barrier that no one has any desire to cross. Chucking bodies into the rave from Hightown side is a common tactic for 'refuse'-even considered poetic justice, by the more callous of nobility.
They are cresting a small 'hill'-more like a barricade, though who built and why would take some time to figure out-when...
EC Roll 1d20=4
The road ahead is clearly...blocked, is a good word. What looks like orange-yellowish ooze forms a sunken pool at least 10 feet wide, and Gods know how deep-judging by the bubbling and hissing and popping, it's likely quite acidic...though, it doesn't seem to have damaged the buildings or non-material objects or street itself in any way a normal acid might be expected too-a long wooden board lies in one end, floating as if on water. There is perhaps enough ground for someone agile (or with wings) to make their way across without touching it. A temporary bridge could likely be made as well, given time...
As the group watches, however, a fattened pseudopod of goo rises and looks in their direction, forming a rudimentary head. It stares at them sightlessly, perhaps marking, perhaps not. Then, it bubbles to itself, and slinks back into the muck, making no obvious hostile moves toward them. But there is no doubt it is there. Nearly all adventures know what an Ooze is-a near mindless being that lives to eat and nothing else.
Still...they've the choice to press on, or double back-the route they just passed will instead take them through a ruined market area that was hedged up against the cliffs instead of this acidic thoroughfare. The marketplace is rife for ambush, of course, and who knows what dwells in the structures? They've been safe enough in the street so far...
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Topic: D&D 3.5 PbP: Oasis/Adventures in Hightown (Play Thread) (Read 10154 times)